2011 PROJECT OPPORTUNITY GRADUATION HELD

On November 16, the Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation hosted the second annual Project Opportunity Graduation ceremony for eleven veterans who completed the 10 week Entrepreneurship Boot Camp training

Each graduate of this training program completed a business plan and are now prepared to take the next step in their dream to own and operate a small business. Topics that were covered during the course included discussions on Marketing and Analysis Planning, the 4 P’s (Product, Price, Placement, and Promotion), Managing Money, Financial Tips and Tools, Networking, Government Regulations, Management, Web Sites and Social Media, and Procurement Opportunities for Veteran Business Owners. Each session was supplemented by presentations from subject matter experts such as a lawyer, CPA, business bankers, commercial insurance agent, and a federal contracting program manager.

The guest speaker for the ceremony was Secretary Edward Chow, Jr., Secretary of the Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs who spoke about opportunities available for veterans as well as why veterans are successful small business owners.

Each graduate gave a summary of their business plan and were awarded a certificate of completion

This program would not be possible without the support of our donors and we would like to thank the following organizations and business that provided financial support and other contributions to the project: M&T Charitable Foundation, Lower Shore Workforce Alliance, Bank of America Foundation, Rural Development Center for UMES, BB&T Bank, American Legion Wicomico Post No. 64, Meuse VFW Post 194, Delmar VFW Memorial Post 8276, and Pepsi Bottling Ventures.